


By the Lakeside, We Say our Goodbyes

by bluelight (VigorousAlpaca)



Category: Noli Me Tangere & Related Works - José Rizal
Genre: Breakup, Love, M/M, Sad, Saying goodbyes, departure, late night, well technically
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2020-05-01 23:36:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19187533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VigorousAlpaca/pseuds/bluelight
Summary: “May I ask Crisostomo,”“What is it?”“When was the last you’ve been this happy...?"





	By the Lakeside, We Say our Goodbyes

**Author's Note:**

> hi! this is the first fanfic I've finished and also published in a site and sorry for any errors you may encounter throughout the story lol enjoy!

“May I ask Crisostomo,” Crisostomo turned his eyes on Elias. His brown eyes twinkled underneath the bright moon. Sure, today’s moon is beautiful, but his eyes were something else. Elias can’t take his eyes from him as he was being transported into this abyss, his alluring eyes make him want to kiss him, he hopes this night won’t even end or at least be a little longer because this might be the last time he would lay his eyes on a charming man.

“What is it?” Crisostomo answered. He tried to sound very seductive but he failed, Elias laughed as Crisostomo blushed very hard that his face turned red under the light of the moon. This may even be the last time he would do that, no one knows.

“When was the last you’ve been this happy? I mean the type of happiness where your heart just--just wants to explode because these euphoric emotions are trying to overwhelm you to the point you feel like dying? Dying because of happiness?” He was stuttering in between words. He didn’t even notice that he was tearing up at that moment. Crisostomo tried to caress his face, make him stop crying, do whatever it takes to stop him crying because he’s done making him cry, god damn he’s done hurting him! If their love wasn’t forbidden, then this won't even happen. He wouldn’t do this to him because he knows this might be the last.

Crisostomo’s family has decided to marry him to a wealthy woman whose father is a friend of the Ibarra family. It should be Maria Clara though, but the lady knows about her best friend’s secret relationship with Elias, and she understood that their marriage would not only hurt Crisostomo, but she was also not interested in him. She loves someone, she knows the feeling of being tied to someone you don’t love or have any connection with. She decided to tell her parents to halt the arranged marriage with him. It took her a while to convince them, like a couple of days, weeks to even talk about it because they were not satisfied with her reasons for the marriage being discontinued. However, at the end of the day, her parents just gave up, and let her decide to whom she wanted to marry, and be happy with her married life with the spouse she loves, and continue to love.

“H-hey, stop crying, Eli. You know when was the last time I’ve felt that kind of emotion?” Crisostomo tried to wipe the tears on Elias’s cheek. Elias’s hands are on his waist, holding him firm as if he might let loose, run away, which Crisostomo knows he wouldn’t for all he knows, this might be the last time his hands are on his waist.

“When I’m with you. You’ve given me so much happiness that I even forgot my own damn name,” they both laughed at his cheesy answer, in between those laughs and smiles are tears falling down from their eyes, a sign of grief. “I don’t know another person that could have done that,” his assuring smile did all of the explanation.  
“But I know one, though,” Elias’s smiling mischievously, which made Crisostomo question if there’s anyone that might have done this to him.

“Who, my love? Who would have done that to me?” 

“Maria Clara? You know, you loved her, right? You two have a history, a complicated past.” Crisostomo remembered that he and Maria Clara were in a relationship in the past. They’ve decided to just be friends after some complicated problems like misunderstanding happened all throughout their relationship. They remained friends, best friends. He remembered she was also the one who helped him and Elias to be together, it took a while for them to realize that they liked each other, unlike Maria Clara, she knew these boys were undeniably into each other. Maybe we could just go back from the start? Where this moment would still take forever to happen? 

“Yes, she may have done that to me, but let’s first cherish the now. Let us not dwell in the past because it’s buried under my mind right now. I loved her, and she loved me, but we’ve found people that truly love us more than we could give at each other if that makes sense for you.”  
“I know, I know. I just want you to make you laugh. It was supposed to be a sarcastic statement,”  
“If so, then you fail,” they were both laughing as if an impeding separation won’t happen by the end.  
“Sorry. If I keep on disappointing you,” Crisostomo was shaking his head, trying to point out that he has not disappointed him.  
“No, no, no, Elias. You didn’t,” 

“I mean, you have done a lot to keep our relationship strong, tried to encourage me that there’s nothing wrong with us, you helped me on overcoming with this--this fear on their prejudices, judgments. You alone made me realize our love no lesser than them, that we deserve to be in love with each other. Thank you. Thank you you were a part of my life, a lover; my home when I needed one.” Elias is again stuttering in between words and phrases because of his uncontrollable weeping and cries. 

“You are so dramatic, Elias,” Crisostomo tried to make him smile because he cannot even understand what he was saying, but then he failed. Poor Elias continued crying after he said that. They were a hot mess at this point. The lake beside them was quiet, the trees around them are swaying along with the winds from the east. It was cold yet these two people radiate warmth around them, it was their love for one another. 

“I am indeed very dramatic as of now since this might be our last contact at each other because there’s a possibility that you will transfer in Manila with your wife,” There was a sting on his voice when he mentioned the word wife which made Crisostomo shook his head.

“Are you jealous of her, darling?” He was chuckling, Elias nodded at him. They are now sitting by the shoreline of the lake, overlooking at the murky waters where the moon reflected on it. Crisostomo still smiling at the thought of Elias being jealous of his betrothed.

“Oh, don’t be. You know our marriage is only for binding he families, nothing more. They only want to have good-looking grandchildren, as far as I know.” 

“I just hope you won’t waste your life with her.” Crisostomo instantly glances at him after long moments of staring at the lake, surprised about what Elias had said.

“I remember earlier you are crying about my departure, being jealous of my future wife since she might be the reason I lose my feelings for you, and now…you want me to be happy with her? I-I don’t understand.”

“Crisostomo. What I meant is that, you’ll be with her with the rest of your life and I don’t want your marriage to be in vain. Make her experience love. Don’t dwell too much in the past. On me. Our love. Make our relationship a memory in your mind, not something that you will live with for the remaining time you have in this world. I didn’t teach you to be a jerk. I teach you how to jerk,” Crisostomo was flushed and gasping at the last line Elias said. He hit him on his arms with his fists. 

“Hey. I know how to jerk even way before we have met!” 

“I don’t care. You like it when I stroke it, don’t deny.” Elias is now laughing while Crisostomo hugged his knees out of embarrassment, trying to hide his face underneath his knees and arms.

“Stop. It’s getting embarrassing, please.” They don’t realize that they have been in this area for a while now not until the moon is starting to fall back on the horizon in between the trees. From dark sky with twinkling stars, it now turned into a shade of blue. The two of them felt that it’s time to leave, they have been through a lot in a night, reminiscing the old yet untimely memories, and use this time to say goodbye.

Crisostomo stood up from sitting while shaking the dirt that has stuck on his pants. Elias, on the other hand, only observe him, sadness loomed their area. Crisostomo sensed his eyes are on him, so he also looked back, tried to smile at him, and hug him tightly. 

“Well,” Crisostomo muttered under his breath. “It is time. Farewell, I guess,” he added.

“J-just promise me,” Elias releases himself from the hug, caresses his face, and smiled sadly. 

“What do you want me to promise?”

“To love her as a lover, and cherish her. I-I mean, just stop loving me by the moment you are going to exchange your vows in front of the altar--”

“W-wait, what?” Crisostomo was puzzled at his sudden change of feeling about the future partner of Ibarra’s. Earlier, he was jealous of the woman since she would take over the heart of his lover but now, he’s trying to promise him to love her?

“Just promise me, you will do that, okay?” Elias pleaded.

“I-I-I can’t, Elias, no--”

“Say I do, if you are going to do it. Maybe do it for me, Crisostomo. It’s not like you will hurt someone if you do that,”  
“No, no, Elias. I won’t and I--” Elias kissed him, deeply, passionately, like it might be the last day of the world, more like the last day of them sucking each other’s lips. 

“You really want me to do that, do you?” 

“Uh, no?”

“Stop denying, it’s our last day with each other obviously you really want it.” They were embracing each other, looking again at the lake. 

Crisostomo rolled his eyes, “Yes. I liked that, okay? Now, I am going to promise what you want me to promise you.”

"That was easy,"

"I promise, er, whatever you said earlier,"

“No,” Elias faces him. From a darker shade of blue, the sky starts to turn into a little lighter. He grabbed his salacot from the ground, and wore it.

“You say I do as a sign of promising me,” he smiled.

“I-I do.”

**Author's Note:**

> i'm open for any criticisms if you have. i'm trying to improve my writing at the moment because afaik it's still shitty but bearable, i guess haha!
> 
> happy independence day !!


End file.
